Former Governor and the Senator representing Imo West Senatorial district at the 9th Nigerian Senate, Rochas Okorocha has claimed that he has never received a dime as salary from the National Assembly, since becoming a lawmaker, over two years ago.
Okorocha said this while interacting with members of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), FCT Council in Abuja on Monday.
He was at the NUJ for a conversation with Abuja Journalists, as part of activities lined up for his 59th birthday anniversary, slated for the 22nd September, 2021.
According to him, the management of the National Assembly had his express approval from the start of his tenure as Senator, to channel his monthly salaries and other allowances into charity, which he said was initially objected to by the Management.
“I have never received salary as a Senator. Even as a Governor of Imo State, I didn’t draw a penny for the years I spent. I hate public funds. One thing about public funds is that, if you don’t work for it, don’t collect it because it has spiritual implications”, Okorocha told the journalists.
Speaking further on the basic salaries and allowances of Senators, Okorocha said, “I don’t know how much a Senator earns. But I think the basic salary is around N2m, but allowance is around N3m for housing, then transportation and other allowances put together to be around N10m or N11m, not too sure”.